Bachelor 2022/2023

Integrated Skills English Language Course

Type: Elective course (Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication)

Area of studies: Linguistics

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

Where: School of Foreign Languages

When: 4 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Михеева Наталья Дмитриевна, Ekaterina Vladimirovna Chernetsova, Tatiana Martseva

Language: English

ECTS credits: 9

Contact hours: 52

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course “Integrative English Language Practice” is designed for the fourth-year students of Undergaduate Programme “Foreign Languages and Cross-cultural Communication”. It is aimed at enhancing all the skills that students have developed during their previous years of studying at HSE and integrating them into oral and written communication based on audial and graphical information at C1+ level according to CEFR.

Learning Objectives

• The course aims at enhancing professional and academic competencies that students have gained and development of students' communicative competence in all skills and aspects beyond C1 level.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• being able to apply noticing skills in reading
• being able to backtrack and restructure around a difficulty, so the interlocutor is hardly aware of it
• being able to comprehend a wide range of spoken English, including a range of voices, accents and styles of delivery
• being able to convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using, with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of modification devices
• being able to deal with hostile questioning
• being able to deliver a well-structured talk on the topic given
• being able to discern a distinction between more challenging lexical items
• being able to distinguish between and utilise a variety of literary devices
• being able to effectively express opinion in the written discourse
• being able to effectively use visualisation tools to support ideas in a spoken presentation
• being able to evaluate the relevance of the information obtained from various sources
• being able to exploit a comprehensive and reliable mastery of a wide range of language to formulate thoughts precisely, give emphasis, difference and eliminate ambiguity
• being able to follow and contribute to complex interactions between third parties in a group discussion even on abstract, complex and unfamiliar topics
• being able to foster lexical resource through effective word formation
• being able to get and hold onto his/her turn to speak
• being able to handle collaborative work efficiently
• being able to hold his/her own in formal discussion of complex issues, putting an articulate and persuasive argument
• being able to identify the key points of the message delivered in a spoken discourse
• being able to infer underlying meaning of the message communicated in spoken or written discourse
• being able to participate in a discussion: entering a conversation, turn-taking, showing interest, employing exiting strategies
• being able to present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure
• being able to process information from more extended reading passages and use it for further writing practice
• being able to recognise and evaluate attitudes and opinions expressed in the text
• being able to report other people’s ideas in speaking and writing (hedging devices and reporting verbs)
• being able to summarise and elaborate on the key data from the visual prompts (pictures or diagrams/charts)
• being able to summarise the ideas and expand on the premise
• being able to summarise the information obtained from various sources
• being able to understand spoken discourse delivered at fast native speed
• being able to use critical thinking skills to grasp the information implied in spoken or written discourse
• being able to use high register lexis fluently and appropriately, conveying the subtle nuances of the meaning with precision
• being able to use inferencing skills in reading without using a dictionary
• being able to use relevant examples to support the argument
• being aware of connotative levels of meaning
• being skilled at using contextual, grammatical and lexical cues to infer attitude, mood and intentions
• having no difficulty understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, delivered at fast native speed
• knowing advanced grammar concepts of noun clauses and conditionals and being able to use them appropriately
• knowing and being able to apply conventions of effective interpersonal written communication
• knowing and being able to apply in writing conventions of review writing
• knowing and being able to apply the conventions of report writing
• knowing and being able to employ the strategies of listening for general information and for detail
• knowing and being able to employ the strategies of reading for general information and for detail
• knowing and being able to follow the norms norms of academic and professional communication
• knowing conventions of a discursive essay writing and being able to apply them in writing
• knowing the nuances of meaning of the active vocabulary and being able to use it appropriately to convey the precise meaning of the message

Course Contents

• Broadening your horizons
• Performing Arts
• Language and literature
• Surviving and thriving
• The way we live
• Travel

Assessment Elements

• Speaking
• Exam
  In pairs, students take one card each, and prepare a two-three minute monologue, in which they outline the main idea of the text, agree or disagree with it and support their opinion with arguments. Then they answer two questions asked by their partner. Then students swap the roles. The overall time needed for both students to answer is 15 minutes.
• Writing
• Continuous assessment
• Home Reading
  Practice of reading modern fiction and non-fiction books from the list offered by the course teacher. The final grade will consist of the grades for 1) written book review; 2) presentation of the book with overview of writer’s biography, book content, evaluation of ideas and personal opinion; 3) reader’s log with the list of new collocations; 4) being able to define, exemplify and use 50 randomly chosen collocations from a reader's log.

Interim Assessment

• 2022/2023 2nd module
  0.2 * Exam + 0.2 * Continuous assessment + 0.2 * Speaking + 0.2 * Home Reading + 0.2 * Writing

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Upstream: proficiency : student's book, Evans, V., 2002

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Cambridge vocabulary for IELTS advanced with answers : self-study vocabulary practice, Cullen, P., 2012
• Cecilia Minden. (2020). Writing a Review. Cherry Lake Publishing.
• Charles Marsh, David W. Guth, & Bonnie Short. (2017). Strategic Writing : Multimedia Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More: Vol. Fourth edition. Routledge.
• Sankrusme, S. (2017). International Business Correspondence. Anchor Academic Publishing.
• Successful writing : proficiency, Evans, V., 2000
• Thomsett, M. C. (2018). Style Guide for Business Writing : Second Edition: Vol. Second edition. De Gruyter.
• Upstream: proficiency : student's book: workbook, Evans, V., 2002